International Network for Philosophers of Education

PAST CONFERENCES

Over the years, our biennial conferences have brought together philosophers of education from around the world to explore critical themes shaping educational thought and practice. From pressing global issues such as climate change and the enduring question of post/colonialism, to timely explorations of pedagogical life during the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing challenges to democratic life, each conference offers a rich platform for dialogue and reflection. Hosted by leading universities across continents, these gatherings continue to foster intellectual exchange, deepen philosophical inquiry, and build a vibrant international community committed to reimagining education.

2024: Edge Hill University, UK

Dates: 7–10 August 2024
Theme: Postcolonialism: Forging a Knowledge of Belonging

Conference website

Keynote I:

• Rowena Azada-Palacios (Ateneo de Manila University)
  Can We Teach Philosophically About Unspeakable Human Suffering?

  • Respondent: Amanda Fulford (Edge Hill University)

Keynote II – The Terence H. McLaughlin Lecture:

• Prof. Michalinos Zembylas (Open University of Cyprus)
  Recovering Anticolonialism as an Intellectual and Political Project in Philosophy of Education

  • Respondent: Sharon Todd (Maynooth University)

2022: Aarhus University, Copenhagen, Denmark

Dates: 17–20 August 2022
Theme: Pedagogical Forms in Times of Pandemic

Conference website

Keynote I:

• Anne-Marie Eggert Olsen (Aarhus University)
  Teaching Philosophy: Why and Where?

  • Respondent: Jørgen Huggler (Aarhus University)

Keynote II:

• Jan Masschelein (University of Leuven – KU Leuven)
  Rejuvenating and Regenerating On-Campus Education: Why Particular Forms of Pedagogical Life Matter

  • Respondent: Lovisa Bergdahl (Södertörn University)

Keynote III – The Terence H. McLaughlin Lecture:

• Troy Richardson (Cornell University)
  Relational Philosophies of (Indigenous) Education in the Time of Machine Learning

  • Respondent: Sharon Todd (Maynooth University)

2020: Online Conference

Dates: 6–7 November 2020
Theme: Education, the Environment and Sustainability

Keynote I:

• Helena Pedersen (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
  Education, Anthropocentrism, and Interspecies Sustainability: Confronting Institutional Anxieties in Omnicidal Times

  • Respondent: Kai Horsthemke (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa)

Keynote II:

• Vanessa De Oliveira Andreotti (University of British Columbia, Canada)
  The Task of Education as We Confront the Potential for Social and Ecological Collapse

  • Respondent: Sharon Todd (Maynooth University, Ireland)

2018: Haifa, Israel

Dates: 13–17 August 2018
Theme: Education, Dialogue, and Hope

Keynote I - The Terence H. McLaughlin Lecture:

• Nicholas Burbules (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA): Thoughts on Phronesis

  • Respondents: Paul Smeyers (Ghent & KU Leuven), Hanan Alexander (University of Haifa, Israel)

Keynote II:

• Ayman Agbaria (University of Haifa, Israel):
  "Grasping a Burning Coal”: Reflections on the Role of Religious Authority in Islamic Education

  • Respondent: Joris Vlieghe (KU Leuven, Belgium): Religious Education or Education about Religion? A Thing-Centered Perspective on Authority

2016: Warsaw, Poland

Dates: 17–20 August 2016
Theme: 

Keynote I:

• Kai Horsthemke (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa):
  Access, Paternalism and Justice: Epistemological Reflections on Integration and Inclusion in Education

  • Chair/Respondent: Rafał Godoń

Keynote II:

• Morwenna Griffiths (University of Edinburgh, UK):
  Learning to Live Well in the World: A Posthuman Perspective

  • Chair/Respondent: Paul Smeyers

Keynote III:

• Roger Ames (University of Hawaii, USA):
  Better Late Than Never: Translating Chinese Philosophy into the Western Academy

  • Chair/Respondent: Naoko Saito

2014: Cosenza, Italy

Dates: 20–23 August 2014
Theme: 

Keynote I:

• Franco Cambi (University of Florence):
  Problems of Philosophy of Education in Today’s Society: Technique, the Posthuman and Science

  • Respondent: Giuseppe Spadafora (University of Calabria)

2006: Msida, Malta

Dates: 03–06 August 2006
Theme: Philosophical Perspectives on Educational Practice in the 21st Century

Keynote presentations

• David E. Cooper: Teaching and Truthfulness

• Marianna Papastephanou: Dystopian Reality, Utopian Thought and Educational Practice

• Kenneth Wain: The Future of Education … and Its Philosophy

2004: Madrid, Spain

Dates: 04–07 August 2004
Theme: Voices of Philosophy of Education

Keynote Presentations:

• Marc Depaepe: Philosophy and History of Education: Time to Bridge the Gap?

• Penny Enslin & Kai Horsthemke: Can Ubuntu Provide a Model for Citizenship Education in African Democracies?

• Richard Smith: Abstraction and Finitude: Education, Chance and Democracy

2002: Oslo, Norway

Dates: 08–11 August 2002
Theme: The Many Faces of Philosophy of Education: Traditions, Problems, and Challenges

Keynote Presentations:

• Jan Bengtsson: The Many Identities of Pedagogy as a Challenge

• Vincent Colapietro: A Peircean Vision of Education: Cultivating the Arts of Enquiry, Interpretation and Criticism

2000: Sydney, Australia

Dates: 18–21 August 2000
Theme: Philosophy of Education in the New Millennium

Keynote Presentations:

• Jack Beetson (Trartby Aboriginal College): Aboriginal Ways of Being: Towards an Aboriginal Philosophy

• Geoffrey Sherington (University of Sydney)

• Ilan Gur Ze’ev (University of Haifa): Philosophy of Peace Education in a Postmodern Era

1998: Ankara, Turkey

Dates: 25–28 August 1998
Theme: Educational Rights and Entitlements

Keynote Presentations:

• Ahmet Inffiffi: How One Becomes Ignorant Through Education

• Mehmet Ali Kisakrek: Perspectives on the Turkish Educational System

1996: Johannesburg, South Africa

Dates: 20–23 August 1996
Theme: Conflict and Consensus: Educational, Moral and Political Dimensions

Keynote Presentations:

• David Aspin: Lifelong Learning for All

• Paul Hager: Lifelong Education: From Conflict to Consensus

• Kenneth Strike: Liberalism, Citizenship and the Private Interest in Schooling

  • Respondent: Terence McLaughlin

1994: Leuven, Belgium

Dates: 18–21 August 1994
Theme: Identity, Culture, and Education

Keynote Presentations:

• Paul Smeyers: Introduction to the Theme

• Jim Macmillan: Is Community Necessary?

• Yael Tamir: The Quest for Identity

• John White: Liberalism, Nationality and Education

1992: Varna, Bulgaria

Dates: 17–20 August 1992
Theme: Power and Education

Keynote Presentations:

• Marin Andreev: Education and Social Control

• Wendy Kohli: Power and Education: A Feminist Perspective

• Jane Roland Martin: Rethinking Curriculum, Regaining Culture

• Julietta Savoya: Contemporary Education in Eastern Europe

• Nicolay Vassilev: Educational Authority and Policy

1990: London, England

Dates: 20–23 August 1990
Theme: Democracy and Education

Keynote Presentations:

• Walter Feinberg: Liberal Education and the New Pluralism

• Amy Gutmann: Democracy and Democratic Education

• Attila Horvath: Democracy and Education

• Susan Mendus: Education and Democracy

• Nikolai Nikandrov: Democratisation in Education (Perestroika perspective)

1988: Pécs, Hungary

Dates: 21–24 August 1988
Theme: Philosophy of Education: Bridge or Gulf between East and West

Keynote Presentations:

• Michael W. Apple: The Parallelist Position in Critical Educational Studies

• Volodar V. Kraevskij: Perestroika and Educational Reform

• Otto Mihaly: Paradigms of Socialist Education

• John White: Diversity and Conflict in Values-Education